After The Storm
by lovexlovexlove
Summary: Sequel to Time. 'Love isn't something that disappears when people do. It should be stronger than that. I thought we were stronger than that.' NILEY
1. In Love All Over Again

**Hey! I'm back :)**

**This is pretty much out of the blue, but it is a sequel to Time, so if you haven't read that one yet, I suggest you go to my profile and read it (and review!)**

**As always, I don't own anything, and it's Stewart and Grey 'kay?**

**Enjoyyyy! **

A couple were walking up the street hand in hand, with small smiles tugging at the corners of their lips. The girl held on to her boyfriend's arm to prevent herself from slipping over in the high heels which she was wearing.

"Thanks again for taking me out tonight baby, I had a really nice time."

"Hey, no problem. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't take my beautiful girlfriend out on our official one year anniversary?"

"That may be so, but I'm still really grateful you know. Not that many guys even remember anniversaries, so, just because I have one that does, makes me so much more happier. And plus, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect night. You, me and a hot air balloon ride- it was perfect. And so are you."

Tightening her grip on his hand, the girl pulled him to her front porch and leaned up to give him a kiss. He responded slowly at first, but soon quickened his pace, as his natural male instincts took over.

"Spend the night," the girl stated, neither a request nor a question. Once again, the boy hesitated but placed his hand in her brunette hair.

"For you? Ok."

The girl then led him inside, and they left their jackets on the back on the sofa, and settled down to watch a movie, after choosing a drink and a snack from her kitchen.

Wrapping his arm around her, the boy convinced himself that he was happy, and allowed her to rest her head in the crook of his neck.

However, only ten minutes into the film, the boy felt a vibration coming from his pocket. Easing his arm gently off of his girlfriend, he stood up and walked outside to the patio to take the call.

"Hey bro," the boy answered pleasantly, shocking himself. Why did he feel relief to be away from his girlfriend who was just in the other room?

"Hey man, how are you?"

"I'm alright thanks dude. I'm just –"

"Round her house again?" The brother replied.

"Well, it is our one year anniversary that you are interrupting you know?"

"Then why are you even picking up the phone? Get back in there and show her you love her!"

"Right." He answered definitively.

"I'll speak to you later bro. Call me tomorrow and let me know how the date ended up."

"Sure, will do Joe. Speak to you later."

Slowly closing his phone, the boy made his way back into the room where his girlfriend was giggling at the screen playing in front of her. He took a moment to admire her features while she was unaware of his presence. She was strikingly beautiful, and he knew this. He didn't expect any thing else coming into his mind, because of the way that everyone else reacted when they saw her.

Her blue eyes would sparkle when the sunlight hit them in a particular way, and her hair would wrap around his fingers like they were meant to be entwined with each other. But why was it that when the boy looked at her now, he only noticed her beauty and not the million other small things that came along with her.

At first their relationship was based on expressing how much they loved each other, and how they couldn't wait to see each other next.

The boy used to be happy to answer his phone at two in the morning when she called him just to say that she missed him. But now every time that he heard his ring tone interrupting his sleep, he couldn't help but resent the girl, and wish she'd leave him alone once in a while.

He could sense that the relationship was coming to an end almost every week. And he had the excuse set up- 'he needed to go out and explore the world without being tied down at the age of 18'.

But then, she'd turn around and surprise him again, and make it feel like the first time they had fallen in love, and all previous thoughts of separation would leave his mind. Coming to his age, he couldn't help but feel if staying with this girl was for the best. Their road hadn't been an easy one, and he had come close to saying 'Goodbye' a few times.

But like any man, he felt better to know that there was one girl that he could call his own, and to know that she would not be anyone else's 'baby' either.

Making his way back over to the couch, the boy settled himself back into his earlier seat before the girl pulled his arm around her again.

"Anything wrong?"

"No, it was just Joe checking in."

"Ok baby. Do you know, I'm still so shocked that it's been a year already. We've been through so much together, but like I always say, there isn't anyone else that I'd rather share my life with, because I love you now, and I'll love you for always."

At that statement, Nick's heart broke for two reasons. "Yeah, I agree sweetie. There isn't anyone else I'd rather share my time with."

"I never thought I'd find happiness this young, but I knew from the first moment that we knew each other that we would be together for the rest of our lives, and that it was you that I wanted to see at the end of the aisle. You're perfect," she whispered.

"You too," he replied, once again with hesitation in his voice. "Shall we finish the movie now?" He added, wanting to end the awkwardness that he now felt seep through his body.

"Yeah, just one more thing though. I love you Nick." She said whilst leaning up and gazing into his eyes.

With slight hesitation, Nick responded, "I love you too Rachel."

**SHOCKER!!!**

**Please review**** and let me know what you think, it means the world to me! : ) **

**I have the next chapter written too, so if you review quick, it'll turn up quick!**

**PS: I am so stoked right now: This November I'm seeing the Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift again, and in December I have tickets to Miiiiiley!!! **


	2. Here We Go Again

**Some of you are probably confused, but I promise, things will make sense VERY soon! **

**P.S. Thank you for the reviews, without them, I wouldn't have direction.**

Hearing the gentle sounds of someone humming, Nick woke up, spread-eagled on his girlfriend's couch. Blinking his eyes a few times to adjust them to the light, he picked up his hand to wipe off the drool that had accumulated on his bottom lip. Groaning slightly, he then picked himself up, and headed towards the humming, which happened to be accompanied with the smells of eggs and bacon.

"Honey! You're awake! You slept real good last night then?" Rachel giggled.

"Uhh, not really," Nick answered awkwardly. "You fell asleep a lot earlier than I did. You must have been pretty tired. As soon as that movie ended, you were dreaming. I couldn't get to sleep though, unfortunately."

"Oh, why's that?"

"I had a lot on my mind. I can never sleep without a clear train of thought. Right now everything in my brain is a little jumbled up." He replied trying to open up his girlfriend, to see if this would make things easier on himself. His guiltiness was one of the main reasons why it was painful to be in that room at that moment.

"Can I help in any way?" Rachel said, with a hint of seductiveness filling her voice.

"Um, I'm not sure that's a good idea right now baby. I'm a little sleepy still, and my brain is buzzing."

"Right," she answered, a little upset and feeling rejected. "Well, come eat some breakfast that I made you, and we can decide what we're going to do today."

"Did I not tell you? I have to head to the studio today. Joe and Kevin are bugging me to get this song finished- I keep messing up this one line. I feel like I can't get the right emotion you know?"

Honestly, Nick was pleased that he was able to look past the thoughts he was having the night before, so that he could have a normal conversation with his girlfriend.

"Oh, I totally understand," she added with a smile.

'And there's that smile that I fell for,' Nick thought.

"I hope eggs, bacon and pancakes are ok?"

"Yeah, baby, that's great," Nick replied, cheering up slightly as he took his seat at the table.

Before he could do anything else, she reached over for the syrup and made the move to pour it over his pancakes for him.

"Rachel! I'm diabetic, if you didn't remember?"

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Nick. That was a total accident. I wasn't even thinking. It was lucky that you stopped me though right?" She claimed, whilst adding a painful giggle.

'Miley would never have made that mistake,' Nick thought, but then stopped himself. 'Where the hell did that come from?' He asked himself.

However all he did was answer her quietly, "Yeah, lucky."

"So, are you excited for your birthday party next week?" Rachel asked, trying to change the subject to ease some of the tension and embarrassment that she was feeling.

"I guess so. I doubt there will be any real change in the way I feel just turning a year older, but 19 was always my lucky number."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that a few months ago. I think your family has really gone to lengths for this one Nick. I heard your parents talking about what they were planning to do, and it sounds awesome. I can't wait to see-" But Rachel quickly closed her mouth, scared of what she was about to say.

"Can't wait to see what?"

"Oh, you know. The whole of your family in one room. I have only met your parents and brothers, so I guess this will be the perfect time for me to meet everyone else right?"

"Right." Nick felt his stomach clench as those words left Rachel's mouth. And that was when he realised that she was a lot more dedicated to the relationship than he was. But he also realised at the same time that breaking someone else's heart, was not a road he wanted to go down. He had been at the receiving end of that, and came out worse than he thought he would.

So he just looked up and caught Rachel's eye and smiled softly at her. He then reminded himself that he had chosen her for many reasons, and he listed those reasons to himself at that very moment, to stop himself from saying something that he knew he would regret later on.

For the rest of breakfast, the two sat in silence and just listened to the radio that was playing in the background.

Picking up his napkin to wipe his lips, he moved his plate to the sink and rinsed it quickly.

"I better get going now, you know what Joe and Kevin are like when I don't get to the studio on time."

"Sure, will I see you tonight?"

"I'll give you a call when I leave the studio, but if it's too late, I'll just drop you a text if that's ok? I don't want to wake you."

"Sure, thanks for being considerate." Rachel stood up and walked towards her boyfriend wrapping her arms around his neck.

"And Nick? I'm sorry again for forgetting about the diabetes. It literally just slipped my mind. I would never want to put you in danger, you know that right?"

"Of course I know that Rach. Just think about it next time 'kay?"

"Okay."

"Now come here and give me a kiss before I leave," Nick replied, shocking himself and Rachel at his forwardness. After saying their goodbyes, Nick couldn't help but be confused at his new bipolar state of mind. He never knew whether the next thought that would come into his head would be happy, resentful or upset. He was just plain confused.

He arrived at the studio a little over a half hour later, because he had taken his time whilst driving to once again clear his head. He knew that he needed to record this

song today or his brothers were not going to be happy, and at that time, with all of the thoughts running through his head, he knew he would not be able to concentrate.

"Hey Number 3!"

"Number 3? Really Joe? Is that the newest one of your nicknames you have for me?"

"Well, it makes sense doesn't it?"

"I guess so, but just don't call me it again!" Nick chuckled, glad that Joe had already brightened his mood, and reduced some of the strange feelings that Nick was thinking about.

"Hey Nick, you ready to nail this one today?" Kevin asked.

"Hopefully, but before we start can I talk to you guys about something?"

"Sure, go ahead," they both said in unison.

"Wow, that's odd," Nick started with a shrug of his shoulders. "Well, last night it was mine and Rachel's anniversary right?"

"Oh yeah! How did it go?"

"Do you want me to finish the story Joe? Or would you like to take a guess and try and finish it for me?"

"I guess I could give it a go if you wante-"

"Joe! Shut up," Kevin said, "Carry on Nick. I'm listening, even if this one has his head somewhere else."

"So I took her out, and we had dinner and everything- and I even took her on that balloon ride. So romantic, well at least that's what I thought. Anyway, she seemed to love it, and was praising me the whole way home, except the whole time I was thinking of ways that I would change her, and how I feel that I'm not ready to be tied down to one person."

"Go on."

"When she fell asleep, I found myself looking at her and feeling as if I was only with her for the way she looks. I never wanted to be that kind of shallow guy, but I can't help it. All the other small things that made me fall in love with her in the first place, are still there, except now I don't notice them when she walks in a room. All I notice is how her hair is nice, or how she has a good figure. But then, in the next moment, she looks at me, and we share the connection I felt a year ago, and I find myself back in the situation where I wouldn't want to give her away for the world. What's wrong with me?"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with you Nick. It just sounds like you're falling out of love with her, and maybe that's a sign that you need to move on with your life." Kevin said after a short pause.

"Yeah, Kev's right Nick. If you are feeling this way at all, I don't think it's very fair that you pull her along for the ride anymore. She needs to know what you feel and where you stand."

"You want to know the weirdest thing though?" Nick continued. "This morning she made me breakfast-"

"Doesn't sound weird to me," Joe interrupted.

"Joe! I wasn't finished," Nick sighed. "She made me breakfast, but when she finished piling stuff onto my plate, she reached over and was about to put syrup all over my pancakes."

"Uhhhh!" Kevin gasped dramatically. "What a horrible thing for your _girlfriend_ to do! How dare she think that it's okay to put syrup on the one and only Nicholas' pancakes?"

"Once again I wasn't finished. And two things- she didn't think about me or my health before she put the syrup on. It was like she completely forgot about my diabetes. I mean, sure I can have sugar, but she was literally about to drown the poor things in that stuff. And so I stopped her before she could do any damage, but do you want to know the weirdest part?"

"As always." Joe replied.

"When she put the jug back down, I couldn't stop myself from thinking 'oh, Miley would never do that'."

And as those sentences left Nick's mouth, the room fell into silence.

"You thought about Miley?" Joe asked.

"You thought about Miley when your _girlfriend _was making your breakfast? You thought about Miley, your best friend Miley, when your girlfriend did something wrong?" Kevin continued.

"Dude, that's messed up," Joe finished.

"You think I don't know that? Nick exclaimed. "It's not like I want to think about her in that way anymore. I mean, it's been over a year and a half now. She's gone, and then suddenly out of the blue, I'm there thinking of how she would never put my health in danger. She would be the one making sure _I _went nowhere near those pancakes."

Kevin and Joe looked and each other, and panicked. They did not need Nick going down this road again.

"Nick-o, I definitely think you're talking this too seriously. You and Rachel are so good together, and most of the time you are really happy together as well. Don't throw it away on something you're not even sure about. It's just something that comes into your head every once in a while. Believe me, I was there too before I proposed to Dani."

"Propose?! Who said anything about a proposal?! I'm 19! Well almost."

"Nick, calm down," Joe urged. "Kevin didn't mean that. What we're trying to say is everyone goes through stuff like this. Rachel probably even thought about it sometime too. Your not the only one that has these feelings, so don't get yourself down."

"If you say so."

"Well, at least wait until _after_ your party before you do anything. Rach put a lot of effort in to getting everything sorted for you, so don't put her efforts to waste, okay?"

"Sure, I wasn't planning on doing anything too soon anyway."

"Plus, you two do look adooooorable together," Joe mocked.

"Don't make fun of it Joe. Just because you don't have this face, doesn't mean that you have to get all uptight."

"Right, if you say so Nick. Let's just get to recording this song now, yeah? You think you can cope 'Prez'?"

Nick simply rolled his eyes, smiled and walked into the recording both, happy that he had had that talk with his brothers.

**Miley WILL be back next chapter- along with a bit of Niiiiiiley, and I've got the main story line set out so far, so expect updates a lot faster than last time!**

**Review? Please?**

**Xoxo Zoe**


	3. There In Spirit

**I hope you're surprised by the turn in this chapter- and happy too…**

_**A few days later**_

"_Just another day like any other, nothing in the sky said run for cover…. "_

These were the words that we blasting through Miley's earphones as she walked down the busy streets. She was wrapped up in an old black coat, which fitted well with her skinny jeans. Hanging around her neck was a scarf, and placed on top of that was a brand new, top of the range camera.

Reaching the small park, Miley removed the camera from her neck, and began to take photo after photo of the natural beauty that surrounded her. Having spent around a year and a half in this city, she knew exactly where she could go to fit her mood. Right now she was content, but lonely, so decided to make her way to the small park containing many different statues and flowers.

Paris had always been awe-inspiring to Miley. She couldn't quite comprehend the way that so many different sights of history could be crammed into a city smaller than LA. Everyone around her had a sense of urgency, just like her home back in California, but here, they seemed to go about their business with elegance and class, rather than acting like, if they didn't get to their destination on time, it was possible that the world would end.

Picking her camera up again, Miley placed the lens at eye level, and looked through it, trying to capture an image that only she could see, and so that she could then share that moment with those around her. Spinning around slightly, Miley was slightly disappointed that she could find the inspiration to click that button.

Suddenly she felt someone's hand wrap around hers, and guide her towards the left. Through the lens at this point, Miley could see the sunset casting a low orange light over a family a few metres away. Without wanting to miss the opportunity, Miley swiftly pressed the shutter button and summarized beauty in an 8 by 10 frame. Remembering she was not alone, Miley removed herself from her camera and looked up to identify her mystery helper. Shockingly, she had had no recognition of who the figure was, so instead, she pulled out her earphones so that she would be able to thank them.

Above her stood a man in his mid-twenties, with sickeningly good looks. The dimples in his cheeks only drew her to gaze at his lips quickly, before moving up to his eyes, where she was met with stunningly blue eyes, that seemed to match her own.

Stuttering slightly, Miley was able to get out a small 'thanks', before the figure bent down to pick her bag up, which had been left forgotten on the floor.

"That's no problem miss," the man said, with an English accent.

"How did you manage to-. Where did you-. Huh?"

"I'm a photographer too. I think that should answer your question, " he chuckled slightly.

"It certainly did answer my question," Miley replied, finding her confidence again. "But thank you, for picking up my bag, and for helping me capture that scene. That's what I was trying to say."

"Who would I be if I didn't help out another fellow photographer though?" He smiled.

Lost for words, Miley merely nodded, and hoped that she would be able to come up with an intelligent sentence, that wouldn't make her seem like an awkward nobody.

"Your American right?"

"Yeah, sure am," she replied, feeling more at ease already.

"Whereabouts?" Miley was slightly shaken at this next question. She didn't mean to feel arrogant at that moment, but here was a guy, not too older than herself who had_ not _heard of her. He was genuinely curious as to where she came from, and had no idea that she was famous. Or used to be.

"Originally? Tennessee, but up until a year-ish ago? California."

"I have an aunt that lives there."

"Really?" Miley questioned, beginning to get bored with the situation at hand. The first signs of night time had started to show, and Miley had to get back to her apartment yet.

"Yeah, but enough about that. This may be forward, but I was actually watching you for a few minutes before I came to dazzle you with my experience, and I couldn't help but notice your beauty."

'Ugh, how cheesy,' Miley thought.

"Thank you," she replied politely, even though she knew nothing would be happening.

"What would you say if I were to ask you out for some coffee, and maybe a croissant?"

'Cliché much?' She thought again.

"As much as I would _love _to," she started, only just masking her sarcasm, "I really should be getting back to my house now. I'm leaving to go back home tomorrow, and I still need to pack. It was lovely meeting you though."

"Oh, well, it was nice to meet you too. Next time you can't work out how to use, I mean find some inspiration, we should meet again. I'm usually around here, and I would drop everything to help a beautiful girl," he answered.

'I bet you would,' Miley thought bitterly.

"Sure, well, I see you around."

"Bye then- hey wait you didn't give me your name!"

Miley did not answer, but instead looked over her shoulder and flashed a triumphant wink at the man, before turning back around and rolling her eyes, whilst heading back home to finish packing.

Just as she was getting out the keys to her apartment, she felt her phone buzz in the pockets of her coat, so she eagerly pushed the door open, and made her way to her living room. Here, she dropped all of her belonging gently, before delving into her pocket to retrieve the phone.

Opening the new message she had gotten, and small grin came on her face, when she realised who it was from.

'_Bonjour, mon BFF! Wow, two things- one, I am WAY to old to be using that kind of language, and b, it sounded too girly as well. Basically what I'm trying to say is, how are you Mi? Nick J'_

With haste, Miley dropped herself onto the couch, after turning on the television to an international news channel and taking off her jacket, and began to reply.

'_Nick, I thought we talked about this? You can't be texting me all the time overseas- it's not cheap! And it's not only your money you're wasting but mine too- every time I get a message from you, I feel that I HAVE to reply, or I'm just being plain rude. So next time, just drop me an email or something. But other than that, I'm great thanks, what about you?'_

Whilst waiting for a reply, Miley happily ran to the kitchen, and made herself a cup of hot chocolate to warm herself up. As she was leaving the kitchen, she heard her phone buzz again, but this time, the vibration lasted a lot longer, meaning she was getting a phone call. Running back to the couch, she answered, at the same time as she fell back onto her seat.

"Nick-o!! You're calling me!"

"No kidding, who else would it be? I figured I would call instead of continuing to text you- it's a lot cheaper this way, don't you know?"

"Well, I do now, so thank you."

"You doing ok?"

"I'm…. hanging in there," Miley replied after a pause.

"Only hanging in there? Why's that?"

Miley sighed before answering, "Right now, I'm just not sure where life is taking me. I know that it's completely random, but it's just been on my mind for a while now. But I'm not going to complain- the photography is great. Apart from this weirdo of a dude I met in a park today."

"Oh yeah? Give me his name and number please."

"What? Why Nick?"

"So I can call and give him a piece of my mind."

"Oh, you're hilarious Nick. Really, really funny," she deadpanned. "How are _you?_" She asked.

"I'm good too thank you, a little sad though."

"Why's that?"

"My best friend in the whole wide world won't be at my birthday in two days, because she's pressing some stupid button on a camera on the other side of the world in France."

Miley could tell he was joking, but she did not miss the hint of sadness in his voice, letting her know that he was honestly sad that she wouldn't be able to make it. As those words left Nick's lips, Miley picked herself off her couch and made her way to the window, where she had the most spectacular view of Paris, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

"I heard that your best friend is very very sorry, but she thinks that the present she got you will make up for it?"

"You got me a present Mi? That's so thoughtful, but you didn't have to at all."

"I know I didn't have to doofus, but I did. And it will be with you on your birthday, so don't bother asking me what it is."

"Yeah, like I was going to," Nick lied.

"Nick, I'm not even with you, and I can tell when you're lying, so give it up."

Nick coughed slightly, and changed the subject, "So, what have you been doing other than photography?"

Miley gazed up at the sky outside of her window, as she smiled at Nick's thoughtfulness. But as she was looking up, she saw a plane cross the sky, and suddenly remembered her trip.

Gasping, she dropped the phone and ran into her bedroom, where her suitcase was lying on her bed, with clothes pouring out of it. As if on cue, her brain clicked, and she realised that she had left Nick waiting on the other end of the phone, so she ran back to pick it up.

"Miley? Mi? Miles? Come on answer me! Did you pass out or something? Miley!"

"Nick, calm down. I'm right here, and no I did not pass out or something," she mimicked him. "I just remembered that, I uh, I left the oven on, so I had to turn it off. In fact, I better go now, because I have to make sure all of my appliances are turned off. Ok?"

"Uhh, sure, if you say so Miles. But do you have to? I feel like we haven't talked in ages, and now you have to leave, when we've only been talking for about five minutes?"

"I'm so sorry Nick. But, you have a fantastic, amazing, scrumtidiliumptious birthday ok? I'm so sorry I couldn't be there, but imagine I'm blowing out the candles with you, just like last time ok?"

"Sure Mi. Sleep tight alright? I know it's late over there, so thanks for calling anyways."

"Nick? You called me," she stated.

"Haha, that's right," he said awkwardly. "Just, be safe out there okay? And call me when you next have the chance.

"I will do Nick. I promise. And I miss you. A lot."

"I miss you too."

"Have an amazing birthday," she grinned knowingly.

"Thank you. I'll speak to you soon."

"Bye Nick."

"See you Miles."

With that, she hung up the phone, and immediately dialled another familiar number. As soon as they picked up, she was shouting things down the phone.

"Joe! Joe! I almost ruined things! I was so close to telling him the plan, and he rung, and I didn't, and I was just talking, and I wanted to tell him-"

"Shut up Miley!"

"Right. Sorry," she blushed, "I was mumbling again wasn't I?"

"Ya think?" Joe replied. "So explain properly."

Miley began to explain her conversation with Nick, and how she had forgotten to finish packing when her flight took off in less than nine hours, and she had to sleep yet.

"Well, why are you on the phone with me, when you should be in that room, packing your stupid suitcase," he said with a laugh.

"All right all right! No need to get rude! "She laughed back.

"I'll see you soon Joey."

"Sure thing Miles. Two-thirty at the airport?"

"You got it. See you."

"Bye Miles."

As the conversation finished, Miley ran back into her room and finished up her packing before collapsing onto her bed for a much-needed sleep.

_The next day_

Nervously, Miley was tapping her foot against the wall behind her as she waited for the familiar black car to pull into her sights. As she saw it, she jumped off the wall, and ran over to the driver's side door as she saw it opening. Out came Joe, with his arms open wide, and she jumped into them, giggling as he spun her around.

"God I missed you munchkin"

"Who you calling munchkin buddy? I'm eighteen now!"

"Right sorry. I forgot how girls like to act their age, instead of their shoe size."

"Yeah, well you got that one covered Joe."

"Haha, very funny Miles. Just get in the car. We have somewhere to be you know."

"I hear you loud and clear Joe. And this is me, getting into the car," she said with a mocking smirk.

The car journey was not long, and held comfortable laughter and stories, instead of being awkward.

As they pulled up at the house, Joe assured Miley that Nick would not be home for another hour, so she made her way upstairs quickly to get ready.

Forty minutes later, she found herself looking at her reflection in the mirror. She was in a short, black cocktail dress, that clung to her figure suitably, and her curls were framing her face gently as they disappeared over her shoulders. Her make up was done subtly, knowing that Nick preferred it that way. Honestly, she looked stunning, but as usual she was left flattening her dress, and correcting her make up, thinking that she could look so much better.

Making her way from the room, she made her way downstairs to the familiar kitchen and dining area, where she snuck in unnoticed. Well, for a little while.

"Miley? Is that you?" Denise squealed. "Oh Honey! I've missed you so much!"

And with those words, a handful of guests from the party were welcoming her back home, and asking to hear stories from Paris.

"I'll have to catch up with you all later ok? But I need to hide now! Nick-o can't see me. When will he be home?" she asked.

"Any minute-" As Kevin was talking, the guests heard the front door open, and fell into complete silence.

"Now," Kevin finished. "Miley, hide!"

Miley ran through the room, and jumped behind the staircase as quickly as she could, not even trying to hide the ecstatic smile that was covering her face. From where she was standing, she could still see what was going on so she knew when she would need to make her entrance.

"Happy Birthday Nick!" Everyone shouted as he came into the room, looking as handsome as ever. His dress shirt was one that Miley had picked out for him the last time they had been together, and she smiled at he thought that he had kept it.

"Wow!" Was the only word that came out of Nick's mouth as he looked around at his friends and close family. Standing next to him was Rachel.

At the very moment Miley began to walk into Nick's line of sight, unknowingly, Rachel chose to wrap her arm around Nick's waist and place a kiss onto his cheek. Looking up, Nick's eyes connected almost instantly with Miley's and he felt his mouth go dry.

Miley's eyes drifted down to Rachel's arms and tears came to her eyes.

The only noise that was then heard in the room was the almost inaudible voice that came from Miley. A voice so heartbroken, it was almost painful to listen to. And with that one word, Nick felt his heart break too.

"Surprise," she whispered.

**So be amazed… another update already! : ) You were all probably shocked when Miley was in Paris with another guy and everything…. But I promise, this WILL be a Niley! **

**There has to be some drama though right??!**

**As usual, thank you for all the reviews. Let me know what you liked/ didn't like about the chapter, and tell me what you think is going to happen! Or anything you want to happen.**

**If you read it, please review, even if it' only a couple of words or something : )**

**Ohhhh, and if you're unclear about anything… like the fame part of things, or the story, just PM me and I'll be sure to write back : )**

**Zoe xo**

**PS. The next chapter is written… so the quicker you review…. The quicker it will be up!**


	4. Forever is Over

**I don't like this chapter… but it's a big reality shock for one of our characters.**

Silence is a word used to describe a moment in which no sound can be heard, the absence of any signs of movement. Of course there are times when silence hits and it's awkward, and in a way it appears that the silence is searching for somebody to embarrass. There's the silence that comes embedded in secrecy, they type that muffles any words from appearing.

Then, there's the silence **after the storm **when the world is able to relax again. But in this instance, the silence was consuming. It did not stop once the girl had finished speaking, and it did not stop once the boy had gotten over his shock.

It was one of those times that, even when those who are around you have nothing to do with the situation, they can't help but allow the silence to continue, in the fear that disturbing it will only make it stronger.

It would have been said that the tension in the room could have been cut with a knife, but in this case it was cut with the heel of one of Miley's shoes. Spinning around, she made her way to the patio doors, and quickly opened them to aid her escape, slipping into the darkness.

As if this action had brought everyone back into reality, the room burst into nervous chatter as Denise tried to resolve the situation. She headed to the kitchen quickly and brought back champagne to draw the attention of their guests back onto Nick's birthday.

"Nicky? What's going on?" Rachel asked her motionless boyfriend, whose eyes were fixed on Miley's previous position at the stairs.

Blinking as a reaction, Nick dropped his arm from his grip on Rachel's waist, as hers only tightened on his. "I think I have something to sort out Rachel."

"What? It's your birthday Nick, and you're going to run after someone that clearly didn't want to be here in the first place? Your mother and I spent hours trying to get this party perfect for you, so if you think that you're going to leave just like that, well, well, you weren't planning on leaving really were you?"

"Rachel, that 'person' isn't just someone who didn't want to be here, she's my _best friend_, but if you paid attention once in a while, you would know that, and you would understand why I have to go after her right now."

Not allowing her façade to break whilst Nick was with her, Rachel simply dropped her arm from his waist, and said, "Fine, go after her. But just know that I _do _pay attention Nick. I notice that you get worried every time someone says something happens to your mother. I notice that you care more about your family than anything else in the world. And I notice that when you want to write a song, you get this vacant look in your eyes, and you act all distracted. Why would we be in a relationship if I didn't notice all of these things?"

Sensing around 20 pairs of eyes on him and his girlfriend from the family members and friends, Nick let a small smile grace his features, and stepped slightly away from Rachel. However, he couldn't help but feel that familiar sense of regret and guiltiness after she said things like that. She honestly cared about him, and she did make a point that he should have been enjoying his party. Yet. He ignored these feelings and instead, chose to act on his gut instict.

"Honey," he murmured through gritted teeth, "this is not the right place or time to do this. I'm sorry for having to leave 'your party', but I'm going to go after my best friend right now, ok?"

"Sorry," she whispered with a small frown on her face.

Nick did not say a word, but placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before running out of the same doors Miley had done only a few minutes before.

Reaching his garden, Nick was faced with the problem of having to find Miley in a pitch-black space- the only lights offered were the small ones from the windows of his house. And even these did not offer a brightness large enough for Nick to be able to spot the brunette. Instead he relied on his other senses, and his natural instinct to lead him to where Miley could be. He found himself walking around the side of the house to the alleyway between his house and the next.

It was here that he found Miley leaning against the brick wall, her eyes closed and her face tilted up towards the sky. She had taken her shoes off and she stood with her hands resting together in front of her. Taking a few silent steps forward, Nick could catch more of the detail of her face, and he thought about the changes he could notice in her, as it had been at least a year since he had last seen her.

For example, the way her lips were slightly parted as she was breathing heavily- usually she would stand with her eyes tightly closed to try and block out anything. Instead now, she was openly showing her emotions, even though she did not know she had an audience.

"Miley," he whispered, just as she had before, except his voice held some sense of strength whereas she had been one step away from a breakdown.

Gasping at his presence, Miley released her hands, and brought them up to her cheeks whilst turning away to remove the traces of her tears from them.

"Mi, you don't need to pretend you haven't been crying, I've known you for years, and I've seen you cry plenty of times before. Don't hide from me," he paused. "Why'd you leave like that?"

"I- I, uh I couldn't tell you Nick- not because I don't want to, but because I don't know myself. It must've been the fact that I haven't seen you in such a long time, and then all of these emotions hit me when I did. God, look at me! I'm crying, and I should be _happy _at the fact that you're here, or at least that I'm here with you."

"Come here then." And without another word, Nick brought Miley into his arms, where she gripped onto his shirt and breathed in his scent like it was the first time.

She was accustoming herself to his shape, and smell, and _feel _all over again when she felt his hands grip her waist like he was trying to convey his feelings.

"God, I've missed you," Nick said honestly. "It really hasn't been the same without you here you know? I hated not being able to see you whenever I wanted- talking to you or texting you just isn't the same."

With those simple words, Miley's final resolve faded away, and she broke down again in Nick's arms. Shocked, but understanding, Nick began his almost ritualistic methods at calming her down.

_Flashback_

_Running into her bedroom, Miley threw herself onto her bed without hesitating to take her shoes or jacket off. Her phone began to ring on her bedside table, but she let it continue and tried to block out any of the surrounding sounds._

_Five minutes later she was left with ten missed calls from the same person on her phone, and on the next ring, she was surprised when, at the same time, she heard her door fling open. Her boyfriend burst through the frame holding his phone against his ear, whilst looking wildly around the room._

_As his eyes caught sight of his target, he leapt forward, dropping his phone, and grabbed her by the arms gently. "Mi, do you wanna tell me why you weren't answering your phone? Do you want to tell me why you're sitting here with tears running down your face?"_

_Although Nick wasn't angry, Miley could hear the 'I'm-not-angry-with-you-but-I-am-extremely-upset-and-worried' tone coming from Nick's voice. Sometimes, she even feared this voice more than his angry one, because she was left feeling like she had let Nick down, and in some ways she had._

"_I didn't answer my phone, because for once, I wanted to shut the world out, and I'm crying because life can be so cruel."_

"_Miley Ray, what have I told you before? You need to answer your phone baby. I get so worried about you, and sometimes it's just relief if I can hear your voice." _

_Nick was always the sensitive boy, willing to offer an answer for everything, so he did his best to explain to Miley that what she was feeling was normal._

"_Life is cruel because it needs to teach us lessons, and if it didn't, we'd never be able to improve as people. But they say that as long as you have someone there who is willing to hold your hand through it all, you'll be able to hit any curveball that life throws at you. I'm willing to be that hand Mi."_

_At that point, Miley couldn't care less that her boyfriend may have come across as being clingy, condescending or overbearing. To her, he was a well-earned break after a long fight. She wouldn't give this boy up for the world._

"_Now, come here and I promise you can cry your heart out. Cry for the world, cry for me, and cry for yourself, but I'm going to be here when you finish, just so I can wipe your tears and promise you it's going to be okay."_

_With that, Miley climbed onto Nick's lap, and buried her face in his chest as he held her close to his heart. He picked up his hand, and drew concentric circles on Miley's back- two clockwise followed by three anti-clockwise. _

And that's what he did at that moment. He began his old routine which sent Miley back into memories from their time together, and she was able to cry once again. But not for the world, or for herself. For Nick.

"Look at us Nick. We're best friends and it feels like we're on separate sides of a room. "

"How about on separate continents?" Nick said jokingly. "That's the way it's been for the last year or so, so I would be surprised if things didn't change that quickly."

"Well at least I still know it's the same you and those witty remarks. You always had a way with words Nicholas."

"That's why I'm a songwriter," Nick said slowly as if speaking to a young child.

The pair both broke out into a chuckle, Miley still wrapped in his arms, the tear tracks on her face drying to her cheeks. Noticing this, Nick took his hand and brushed his hand against her cheek softly, leaving his palm pressed there after he was finished.

"There's that smile I fell for," Nick murmured whilst looking into her eyes. "I missed you so damn much," he repeated. "Mi," he whispered at the same time as leaning in to her embrace, moving towards her lips.

Remembering back to the previous situation inside, Miley soon backed away from Nick, and threw his arms carefully to his sides.

"You have a girlfriend Nick. How could you not tell me?" She breathed, her eyes soon glistening again. "Looks like you fell for someone else's smile too."

And there was that broken hearted, innocent voice all over again.

**So as usual, please review! **

**Mileyworld and I are doing a scavenger hunt thing, so if you read the last 'chapter' that has all the details in it, and we're changed it to as many judges that want to be one now, so just say if you want to : )**

**The next chapter won't be out for a while, because I'm going on holiday next week, but when I get back it's half term at school, so I'll have time to write then.**

**Review? **

**xo**


	5. This Is The Sound Of A Breaking Heart

"_Looks like you fell for someone else smile too.'_

"What?"

"You heard me Nick. Ever heard the saying 'distance makes the heart grow fonder?' No? Well, it wouldn't surprise me. If you had heard it, you would have known that I was over in France still in love with you, and still knowing that the day that I returned we would be able to carry on where we left off. But, I guess I was wrong right? Here I am, still in love with you, but we won't be able to get back together because you've gone and fallen in love with another girl."

"Miley, you don't understand-"

"What don't I understand Nick? The fact that before I left you promised me that someday we would be happy again. You also promised you would carry on loving me. Now tell me, what of that do you think I don't understand."

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way Mi."

"Cut the act Nicholas," bitterness rising in her voice. "Our love wasn't supposed to have an expiry date Nick."

And then there was that silence again. That bitter, painful silence, that was ever present since Miley had returned to Nick's house that evening. After a few minutes, Nick sheepishly looked up from the staring match he had going on with his shoes, as he heard Miley squeak out the one question he really did not want to answer at that point.

"Who is she?"

"Please don't make me answ-"

"Just tell me who she is Nick. I think I deserve that at least, don't you?"

"She's a fan, her name's Rachel."

"Where'd you meet her?" She asked.

"Come on Mi, stop with the questions, you're only hurting yourself."

"Wow, you have some nerve, Nick. I don't think this would even classify as self harm, because from where I'm standing, it only looks like you're the one that's hurting me."

"Fine. I met her at a concert. She was begging to meet my brothers and me and then suddenly, I guess we just clicked when she looked in my eyes."

"How pathetically cheesy Nicholas. Ever thought that maybe she was only interested in the money or something?"

"Now you're the one that's taking this too far. One, Rachel is not like that, she loves me for who I am, and two, how do I know you weren't in it for those reasons."

"You know, you never, never, cease to amaze me. You and your brain. You come out with these comments without thinking, and somehow manage to send me back into this feeling of loneliness. Do you really not realise who much I was in love with you?"

Nick stayed silent, not knowing how to fully answer the girl standing in front of him without breaking down himself. Of course he knew how much she loved him, because he felt, _feels_, the same way. But he could never tell her that now, because he had someone _else_ to look after. Someone _else_ who he was supposed to love. His heart was aching for him not to, but his mind was telling him he had to do the right this. And this time, the right thing, was not breaking another girl's heart.

"Do you wish I had never left? Do you think that if I had stayed, we would still be in love? We're supposed to be best friends Nick. This wouldn't have happened to best friends."

Looking up at her sudden remark Nick said, "How could you even suggest that I wanted you to leave? We were happily in love! If I could rewind time, and take back what that website did to you, I would. I would happily do it 300 times over, if it meant that you would have stayed here."

_Flashback_

"_Call me, call me, call me." Miley repeated again after again each time a tear dropped down her face._

"_Miley, you in there?" Her brother called from the other side of the door._

"_Yeah," she hiccupped. "What do you want," she asked._

"_Me and Dad are going out ok? We'll be back in a few hours, you'll be ok on your own?"_

"_No," she whispered. However she increased the volume of her voice as she replied, "Sure I'll be fine, call me when you're coming home." She spoke using a tine that masked her upset one._

"_Yeah, see ya."_

'_Alone again,' Miley thought._

"_Call me, call me, call me, call m-"_

"_YES!" She shouted, when her ring tone went off._

_Instead of answering with a hello, she just said down the line, "Speak."_

"_Hello to you too? What's going on?" Nick responded, confused at his girlfriend's quick sentence._

"_Just speak Nick. I need your voice."_

"_Well alrighty then…" With that, Nick set off talking about his day, not wanting to question his girlfriend's request. He knew it was better to comply with her than start a fight for nothing._

_However his rambling stopped suddenly when he heard a whimper from the other side of the phone._

"_Miley? What's going on? Are you… crying?"_

_No answer._

"_Mi, you want me to come over?"_

"_Would you?"_

"_Of course," he reacted in a second._

_The next few minutes, Miley waited with her breath held, simply sitting on her bed, waiting for her boyfriend to arrive like he promised he would. The second that she heard the knock on her front door, she ran down the stairs, and flung it open, gripping onto his jacket._

_Not needing to say a word, Nick gently picked her up, and carried her through to her room, stopping to shut the door on his way._

"_I hate this!" She exclaimed as soon as they were situated on her bed, her legs wrapped around his waist, and her fists clenching at his shirt._

"_One day I wanted a break. Just one, but they never leave me alone long enough without stirring up new rumours. Is it not enough that I work my butt off for the world? But for them to then throw it back in my face is not necessary."_

"_You need to explain to me what's going on ok?"_

"_Everything! Haters, twitter, my parents. I can't escape and be normal. Ever."_

"_Miles, I've seen you like this before. You know you're better than this. You never let those sites get to you, so don't let them now. And like I've said before, haters only hate other people because they're aren't satisfied with their own lives."_

"_I really need to get away from this all."_

"_I wish I could help you do that Miley. But unfortunately life is just cruel in the way that it forces us to live out of most trying times."_

"_I can do something."_

"_Oh yeah, and what's that?" He said chuckling at her adamant statement._

"_I'm going to leave."_

_That one adamant statement was enough to wipe the grin straight back off his face._

_Four weeks later_

"_People always start these conversations with the words 'so this is it' don't they?"_

"_Yeah, I guess they do," Nick spoke in return._

"_But, we're not really like everyone else, so I'm going to try and make this easier on the both of us. It's going to be far easier if we just end this relationship now, and save ourselves the pain later, isn't it?"_

"_Wow, way to rip off _that _band aid Miley." Lightening the situation with a laugh._

"_Oh shut up. You knew it was coming."_

"_Yeah, I guess I did. And I also know that we're going to stay friends, even though that whenever someone says that after a break up, it ends in tears, and they don't actually stay friends."_

"_Yeah, but once again, we were never really a normal couple were we?"_

"_You got that right."_

_The conversation suddenly went silent as the time for goodbyes was reached._

"_Although I'm leaving, we're leaving each other as best friends, just not in a relationship ok?" Miley suggested._

"_I'll still love you with everything in me, and I'll wait for you. That I can promise. I'm going to wait until you get your feet back on the ground, and you feel that you are ready to come back to this battlefield called Hollywood. Will you wait for me too Mi?"_

"_I'll be the one with your name tattooed on my heart. And it isn't leaving any time soon either. Oh, and the most important thing: I love you too."_

"_I wish there was a quick hello after this goodbye," Nick stated shamelessly._

"_It's not a goodbye. Just more of an 'I'll see you later'. And there will be a hello. At least four times a day in either texts or phone calls ok?"_

"_Sure Mi, whatever you say."_

"_Now I think I can say, 'this is it.'" _

"_Don't forget that I love you Miley Ray," Nick reminded her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace._

"_And don't forget that I'll always love you that little bit more Nick-o," she returned with his nickname._

"_Here we go again, this argument is far to frequent in our conversations. When will you just give it up and realise that it isn't possible for you to love me more than I love you?"_

"_If that's what you want to believe Nick." She giggled breaking the embrace only to pull him back into one only seconds later._

"_Well, if I'd known we'd be saying goodbye for this long, I would have called the Guinness World Record people. I'm pretty sure this would make it onto their book."_

_Miley just smiled and looked up into his eyes. Just as a tear escaped hers, Nick's thumb was there to catch it, and he held his palm against her cheek like always._

"_I love you," he murmured, just before he caught her lips in a passionate kiss. Although trying to mask his feelings, Miley could still taste the hurt and longing on his breath. She knew from that moment that this was just as hard on him as it was on her._

"_Have a safe flight Mi."_

"_Thank you Nicholas."_

"_Good-"_

"_Please don't say that."_

_No more words were spoken after that. Miley simply walked to her gate number with her head down, and Nick watched her leave, every part of him wishing that he could run up and stop her from leaving._

_End Flashback_

"I wish I could rewind the past as well Nick. But we both know that's not possible. You've got someone new now, and you broke the promise that you told me you would keep."

Although her words suggested anger towards Nick at that point, she was serene and happy to avoid an argument. She had realised that if he was happy, then as clichéd as it was, she would be happy too.

"I wish I could've kept that promise," he whispered, as silence fell, yet again. However, Miley was quick to break it.

"I spent a year in the most romantic city in the world. Taking pictures day after day of the most beautiful sights you could ever imagine. But I never got a photo that could compare to having the real thing standing right in front of you. The Eiffel Tower is wonderful you know? The way it has become a landmark so famous, that it's immediately noticeable to anyone. But when I tried to take a photo of it, I ended up giving up, because it could never match up to the real beauty that was there. That's how I feel about you. I may have been on the other side of the world with hundreds of photos of you, but it was never as satisfying as having you stand in front of me like you are now."

"Are you trying to say that we're going to stick this out as best friends?"

"I'm trying to say, that I'm not going to give you up again, as long as you won't give me up. Deal?"

"I think this is the re-beginning of our beautiful friendship."

Miley placed a smile back on her face, and lied to Nick for the first time in a long time. "I'd be happy to come inside and meet the girl who stole your heart."

"Right, Rachel." Nick said, a sudden pang of guiltiness and unease settling in his stomach.

With that the pair headed back inside, holding hands like best friends would. As they reached the party again, they were pleased to see things were not awkward, but were still moving along pleasantly in their absence.

"Nick! You're back!"

The moment that Miley caught a first proper look at Nick's girlfriend she dropped his hand. Gasping a hand flew to her mouth, and everyone turned to look at the scene in front of them.

"Mi, you ok?"

"You didn't tell me outside that your girlfriend was Rachel _Ryan, _Nick."

"Huh?"

"That's Jake's sister."

**Ooo, little bit of a cliff-hanger there! So, you might be able to sense how I based this on Miley leaving twitter : ( **

**Review? It gives me the push I need to update. I'm much rather you tell me what you think, than be silent readers ; ) hint hint.**

**xo**


	6. The videos have arrived

**Heyyy! I have news : )**

**Mileyworld and I have now got both of our Scavenger Hunt videos on youtube, so if you're a judge (or even if you're not) head over and watch them, and then vote for your favourite, pretty please? Just leave a comment on one/ both and then we'll see who the winner is : ) Or if you don't have an account, leave a review, and tell us who you want to win. The lists of things to get are there in the description boxes I think.**

**Here are the links (without the spaces)**

**Mine: .com /watch?v=5Y9MNe6SUds**

**Lauren's: .com /watch?v=QLNTHQr66Lg**

**And when you watch mine, please ignore the Scottish accent, it was a total fail!**

**For After The Storm, I'm going to have more time to write now I think, so I'll have an update within the next week, but I was on holiday over the break, so I couldn't write much- sorry! I'll update asap though.**

**Annnnndddd 18 days until I see Jonas Brothers : )**

**21 days until I see Taylor Swift : )**

**A whole lot more days until I see Miley, but it's coming!! I'm so excited!**

**Anyone else going?**

**Thank you,**

**Zoe xo**


	7. Cry Me Out

**Before you yell… I'm sorry! I lost inspiration for this story, and I still don't think I've got it back. I'm finding it really hard to write, and I really don't like this chapter. Please let me know what you think, cause I need to know whether I'll be able to carry on with it. So, after you read, pleeeeeaaaase review? Thanks.**

"_You didn't tell me outside that your girlfriend was Rachel _Ryan_, Nick."_

"_Huh?"_

"_That's Jake's sister."_

And then it hit. For what felt like the millionth time. That silence again. Miley's eyes dropped to the floor as Nick's mouth dropped open in shock, as hers had done moments before.

However, if an onlooker were to look at the scene they would not be taken aback by the lack of speaking at first. Instead, they would see the second eldest brother, Joe, rocking back and forth on his feet, itching just to jump up and down and clap his hands at the new turn of situation. Even he could sense that something bad was going to come out of this, but like all the others in the room, he would not be the first to disturb the silence.

To some, it may have appeared comical, but in Miley's mind there was a rush of unstoppable thoughts, which she was battling with herself not to scream out. Did Nick do this on purpose just to spite her? If she hadn't of left would Rachel and Nick have still met at a concert and 'fallen in love'? So instead of standing still with her questions unanswered, Miley chose to try and leave the awkward air of the party. She knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere with asking them.

"I think I've stayed long enough, I'm going to head home. Thank you for the invite Denise, and uh, Happy Birthday again Nick," she murmured not looking at anything except the floor. Collecting her things, Miley made her way to leave the house before her anger or confusion got the better of her.

"Miley, wait!" Nick shouted, but by that point, Miley had left the house and slammed the door behind her. The guests of the party could then hear Miley groan in anger from outside, as she stomped her way across the drive, back towards her car.

Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Joe opened his mouth, only to say, "Oooo, Nicky, you sure know how to choose the situations to spoil something."

"Shut up Joe," and after this statement, unable to stop himself, Nick turned to his girlfriend. "You're Jake's sister? Did you know who Miley was before she came here today?"

"Nick, you have to understand that I didn't do any of this to upset you. Or to upset that girl either. I didn't think it would matter who my family is, I mean, I never call you out on having Joe as a brother do I?" She said in a slightly joking tone.

"Hey! I take that as an offence you know."

"Guys, do you think it would be ok for Rachel and I to talk in private for a minute? Sorry to make this evening so disrupted, I totally realise that I haven't been here for much of it either, but I didn't expect for any of the events that happened tonight to happen."

"We'll be waiting out in the music room for you Nicholas. But I think the rest of your guests are most likely going to leave now," Denise replied.

"Again, I'm really sorry to those of you that travelled a long way to see me for this day, and I wish I could have talked to you all more, but there are some things that I really need to sort out just now."

After Nick's apology, the crowd of his guests slowly left the room, and he and Rachel made their way over to the couch and sat down. Neither one of the two wanted to begin the inevitable conversation, but Nick decided to take the step to try and discuss what had happened.

"So, can you just answer a few questions for me real quick? Cause from where I'm sitting you have to understand that what just happened has me really confused, and there are a lot of answers that I need."

"I'll give you them as good as I can," Rachel answered with a small smile placed on her face.

"Right, so firstly, did you know that the Miley that would be coming today was my Miley?"

"Well, I knew of her, sure. I mean, who doesn't know Miley? It's hard not to know her with her face round every corner and on every billboard. And before you ask, yes I knew about the past that the both of you had. I wasn't trying to come in and wreck it. But when we met, I knew that we could have something special."

'How cheesy does she want to be?' Nick thought.

"Miley and I had already broken up so you wouldn't have been 'wrecking' anything. If you knew who Miley was, that means you must have known that Jake Ryan, I mean your brother, and her had a past together right?" Nick said, still shocked by the fact that the girl in front of him was Jake's sister.

"Of course I knew Nick, but what does this even have to do with us? We're in one relationship, and they're in another one. We're on completely different sides of the track here you know?"

"No, I don't think I do know, because last time I checked, Miley has been in _Paris_ for the last year, over 3000 miles away from Jake, and we broke up just before she left. Where does a relationship between Miley and Jake even come into this? They broke up when she was what? Twelve?"

"Nick, what I want you to understand is that my brother has nothing to do with our relationship, but Miley does."

"Explain, please?"

"Jake and Miley broke up, yes, but my brother still likes her a lot."

"After five or six years?"

"Believe it or not, yes. But Jake told me about that confrontation you had with him in Miley's room over a year ago. He isn't ready to let her go, but he also warned me that you might not be willing to let Miley go."

"Am I sensing some bitterness coming from you Rachel?" Nick asked.

"I'm not sure if it would classify as bitterness, but what I didn't expect was for you to remain best friends with her. I'm not going to lie- of course I know that you both keep up some sort of friendship after she left for France, but to be honest, I expected a little more seeing as we are boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Rachel, I spend most of my time with you already, so you can't blame me for talking to Miley on the phone when I can."

"But when you do phone her, it's like there's three people in our relationship. You have to let her go if you want us to work."

"Well maybe I don't want to let her go!" He retaliated.

"I think I just found your answer Nick. Just, were you only with me to help yourself get over her?"

"I don't want to give you an answer to a question that you already know the answer of yourself Rachel."

"Right, well what was the point in me even giving you a _year_ of my life, to have you throw it back in my face when Miley just comes back into your life," she spoke with venom in her voice.

Nick stood in silence praying for anyone to walk in so that he could be saved from the glares that Rachel was giving him. "If you hadn't already guessed Nicholas, this relationship is over."

"Please don't call me Nicholas, Rachel. And don't try to patronise me either. I have no time for your stupid games."

"Games? Ugh, I am so over this. Have a nice life _Nicholas."_

But as Rachel left the room, that was the last thing that was on her mind. She stormed over to the music room where Nick's family was sitting waiting. Just before she entered, she composed herself enough to wipe the anger off of her face and out of her voice.

"Hello everyone," she said cheerfully as she entered the room. She was met with a sea of blank faces.

"Denise, could I have the number for Miley's old house? I'm guessing that's where she's staying for now, seeing as she's _back_."

"Why do you need it Rachel?" Concern and curiosity leaking into Denise's voice.

"I just want to thank her for coming to the party, and apologise for what happened here tonight."

"Oh, sure. Copy it down from my phone," she said embarrassed at her assumptions, whilst handing the phone over to Rachel.

"Thanks Mrs J. I'm going to head home now though, Nick and I are very tired from tonight's incidents."

"Okay then. Get home safely," Denise answered.

As Rachel left the room, the rest of Nick's family began to chatter quickly about what was going on. Coming into the room, Nick was met with questions hitting him from every direction.

"What the heck happened out there Nick?" Kevin asked.

"What, you mean just now? That would be the end of mine and Rachel's relationship. She claimed it was wrong that I had chosen to stay in contact with Miley, and that being best friends with her wouldn't work or something along those lines. How pathetic! Ugh, let me tell you, I'm glad that that relationship is over. If she has a problem with Mi, then I have a problem with her."

"Well, it was still nice of her to want to apologise to Miley wasn't it?"

"What do you mean Dad? I think apologising was the last thing on her mind."

"What Dad means is that she came in here two minutes ago and asked for Miley's number so that she could call and apologise for the way things had gone down this evening," Joe responded.

"You gave her Miley's number? What did you do that for?!"

"She said she was going to apologise Nick!"

"Well, it seems pretty obvious to me that apologising is the last thing she wants to do right now. I can't believe this is happening. I'm going round to Miley's to try and sort this thing out, okay?"

"I'm sorry Nick, I was just going by what she said. I didn't know that the two of you broke up."

"That's ok mom. I'll catch you guys later."

"Nick, maybe you should let Miley be on her own for a while- you don't know what's going through her head right now," Joe reasoned.

"I know that however she's feeling, I need to be there with her so if she's upset I can help her. That's what best friends do."

_With Rachel_

"Jake?"

"Yes? Why are you calling me Rach?"

"Nick and I have broken up."

"What? Why?"

"Miley came back this evening for his birthday. I think she's here to stay this time. We had an argument over why he was still her best friend."

"So you've broken up?"

"Yeah, worst part is that Nick said he may not want to let her go."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to help me destroy this girl."

"Why would I want to 'destroy' the girl I used to be in love with?"

"Jake, you were twelve years old, you weren't in love."

"What do you know about love Rachel?"

"Umm, maybe the fact that I've been in it for the last year or so?"

"You can do what you want to Miley, but I'm sorry Sis, I'm not going to help you with this one."

"Fine, I was only going to leave her a little message at first anyway."

"Sure, do what you want Rachel," Jake said rolling his eyes.

"Goodbye brother of mine."

"Yeah, see you Rachel," he said completely confused at the conversation that had just occured.

Hanging up, Rachel then dialled the number she had just taken from Denise's phone, and put the phone up to her ear. After hearing the voicemail hit, she left the message that she knew would bring Miley down to her knees. Rachel would not usually be known for hatred, but at that moment she was feeling so alone, any feeling she had were immediately turned into anger.

After leaving her message, she hung up the phone and placed it back in her bag, beginning to walk down the street with a smirk on her face.

_Where Miley Is_

Smoke was rising out of the hood of a Mercedes. The surrounding air pitch black, with only a blinking streetlight a few metres away. Throwing her hands against the wheel, Miley accidentally pressed the horn on her car, shocking the stillness of the night. She unlocked her car door and made her way to the hood of the car, to pop open the trunk.

'What am I even doing? I have no idea how to use a car, all that I could possibly do is make the situation worse,' she thought to herself. 'What a perfect end to a perfect evening.'

Just as Miley made her way back around to the drivers side of the car, she saw two headlights coming down the road.

'Please tell me this is a man who knows a lot about cars,' she silently muttered.

Moving more into the road, she got ready to hold out her hand to the driver to ask them to pull over to help her. Not seeing the girl in the road, the driver of the other car simply kept moving down the road, getting closer to Miley by the second.

"Uh, you wanna stop?" Miley said more to herself than the driver of the other car. Looking into her purse to quickly reach her phone which she could use as a signal for the other car, she brought it out and looked up to see the car around ten metres away from her.

Shocked and alarmed at the driver's ignorance of her whereabouts, she did all that she could think to do.

"STOP!" But by that point, all that could be heard was screeching, and then that commonplace theme. What was that? Oh yeah, the silence.

**Yeah, definitely didn't like this chapter. But if you wanted to review and tell me what you think will happen, I'd love to hear it. I'm not even sure if I know where I'm going with it right now.**

**Any review is good, you know?**

**Zoe xo**

**PS. Mileyworld and I still need the videos to be judged : )**


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